DistantNews
Support us
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal flash floods: Hundreds missing, death toll rises to 160 after glacial collapse

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • At least 160 people have died in Nepal due to catastrophic flash floods caused by a glacial collapse near the Tibet border.
  • Hundreds are still missing as search and rescue operations continue, with officials fearing the death toll will rise.
  • The glacial collapse caused seismic activity and a massive debris flow, washing away villages, roads, and infrastructure.

Search and rescue teams in Nepal are racing against time to find hundreds of people missing after a catastrophic flash flood, triggered by a glacial collapse, swept through areas near the Tibet border. At least 160 bodies have been recovered, but officials fear the death toll will climb significantly higher as the scale of destruction becomes clear.

The disaster unfolded when a massive wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. This event caused seismic activity and a subsequent debris flow, leading to devastating flash floods downstream. Verified videos show dozens of people being swept away, and authorities on both sides of the border are bracing for major casualties and widespread destruction.

It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us. As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud. Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She’s gone

— Keshav Prasad BaralA survivor describing the terrifying moments of the flash flood and his wife being swept away.

Survivors recount harrowing experiences of the flood's fury. One man described being rescued by helicopter hours after his wife was swept away by a "huge gush of mud." Another survivor recounted clinging to a mango tree as the house where he worked disappeared into the deluge. The powerful floodwaters washed away entire villages, markets, vehicles, roads, and critical power projects.

The US Geological Survey confirmed that a glacial collapse, not an earthquake as initially suspected, caused the seismic activity and the subsequent "catastrophic impacts downstream." The event has left a trail of devastation, with communities cut off and infrastructure severely damaged. International aid organizations are mobilizing to support the ongoing response efforts.

was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow” that “caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream

— US Geological SurveyThe agency's explanation of the cause of the seismic activity and subsequent flooding.
About this summary

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog